Disclaimer: You know what goes here...
Recommended Listening:
DJ Maven – Next Heaven
Android Lust – Stained
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Mitternacht
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"Are you back with us now?" Claire asked softly as Dante opened his eyes. He stared at her for a few seconds and pulled away, standing steadily.
"Why'd you follow me?" he asked as he dusted off his outfit, which seemed to have repaired during the meditation... the meeting with his father. His father... As Claire was about to answer, he waved his right hand in a dismissing fashion. "No need to answer. Where's the other one?"
"Back at the..." Claire stopped and looked at him well enough to notice that his eyes no longer showed a crimson glow. "I... told him to stay put." She finished slowly. Dante blinked and stretched his arms, checked his weapons again, and walked past her. "Where are you going now?"
"Where do you think? There's something I have to check out..."
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Steve Burnside gazed intently at the round object in his hand, burning with a fiery glow. It was about as big as his balled fist, and as smooth as a weatherworn stone. Why it was behind a picture in the first place, it was his guess, but someone had to know what the object was. Though it burned bright, the stone was cold in his hand.
He exited the room quickly to wait for Dante and Claire in the front lobby when he felt a cold chill run down his spine. He continued running towards the lobby, not noticing blood-red eyes from the shadows of the hallway. Dark, feline-like figures emerged from the shadowy corners, followed by a bone-chilling cackle and the sounds of scissors being snipped closed. Shadows, as they were called by their victims, sped behind the redhead and formed into a large bird, striking down where Steve's heel was a second ago. He rounded the corner, entered the lobby... and was met by giant puppets wielding knives and various other blades. Their faces were contorted into an evil grin, painted with bright shades of blue and red, their yellowing teeth filed to a point. It was obvious, even to the untrained eye, the strings used to pull them upright. Their whole body was made of wood, save for the blades and fabric. Weaving between the marionettes, Steve found himself caught at the foot of the stairs, surrounded by demon puppets and ghosts of sorts. He glanced quickly at the globe in his hand, pulsating with bright red light.
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They were being attracted to the object.
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A sinking feeling was found somewhere in-between Dante's gut and heart. There was something at the large mansion they were heading to that seemed overwhelmed in darkness. And he didn't like it. He could go so far as to say he feared whatever was inside. Hordes of Underworld beings, Shadows, Marionettes, Sin Scythes and Scissors...
In his mind, he pictured quickly, a blessing for his guns. Running out of ammo twice wasn't enough, he needed plenty to take on what was to come. In his mind, demonic symbols aligned, and Ebony and Ivory felt warmer, a small etch of the symbols on their barrels. Claire was far behind Dante because of her ribs, but he had no cares. There was blood about to be spilled, and he had no need for it to be a fullblood human's.
He waited for a few seconds, to ready his guns, before bursting through the doubledoors and witnessing the dozens upon dozens of demons surrounding Steve. And then he saw it. The blood-red stone in Steve's hands. Steve looked up and they locked eyes. The boy raised the object up higher and Dante nodded. Throwing the globe, Steve jumped over the railing and ran for safety behind the older. Dante followed the orb towards his person, raising Ebony towards it to make contact. The barrel of the gun hit the orb back into the air and an instant later he pulled the trigger. The orb exploded into thousands of pieces, raining down upon the horde of Marionettes, Shadows and Sins. As if daring them all to attack him simultaneously, he casually stepped down the stairs, one at a time. And in each step, his aura shown... an intertwine of crimson and azure.
A stray shadow leapt out of the horde and attacked the halfblood first. After it, the rest of the shadows and the sins after them until Dante was surrounded... blocked from Steve's gaze. The redhead looked back and saw Claire limping up the stairs. In the instant he turned his head, Dante let out a burst of energy, entering his Devil Trigger.
Blood-red wings spread from the shoulder blades of the halfblood, his eyes shown crimson and his power increased tenfold. Around him, it seemed the demons slowed immensely. He was able to fire a dozen rounds into one shadow before moving on to the next; the marionettes fell with one blow to its hollow head; and the sins' masks shattered instantly, even without the shotgun. And in half the time it took him to down three to five shadows, he defeated an army of demons.
He stood in the center of the lobby, glaring at Steve and Claire, watching their faces carefully. After a minute of complete silence, he turned and headed up the stairs, heading left. He broke the locked door down, turning back only when he was alone. He smiled and looked up, past the ceiling of the casino-type room.
"Thanks, father."
It's not over yet, a voice in his head replied. Though Dante wasn't tired, he sat on the piano's bench, playing it one key at a time. He never much liked the piano, but it was his mother's favorite instrument. He recalled the baby grand in the living room, facing out towards the yard, where Evelyn would sit and play the piano, watching her two sons.
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In the fields so green and so free
Seeds gaze up
The clouds keep them from the light
And the sky cries white tears of snow
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Slowly, until he remembered the entire lullaby. And Dante wondered whether Claire and Steve decided to follow him this time.
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But still, the fragile seeds wait long for the sun to shine
Dark winter away, come spring
My young seeds once again will look up to the sky
And I know they will grow strong
My young seeds once again will look up to the sky
And I know they will grow strong
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A panel somewhere behind the bar slid open and Dante stood up. "Weird... but what constitutes weird these days?" he wondered as he jumped over the long counter into the back, finding, within the vintage bottles of wine and other such liquor, a small music box. He picked it up and wound it up, listening to the keys pluck out his mother's lullaby.
He stood transfixed, unaware of the two fullbloods that finally decided to grace his presence.
Claire and Steve stood at the doorway, listening to a lone music box play it's melody. As it slowed, they walked to the bar, looking on as Dante stood unmoving, eyes on the music box.
"Dante?"
"My mother... sang this song to us as a lullaby." Said person whispered. "She never recorded it on paper, why is it forever entrapped in a music player?"
"Is this the 'something you had to check out'?" Claire replied. Dante nodded and placed the unwound music box in his pocket.
"We should move on. We've spent too much time already. Did anyone check out the other rooms?"
"I did on the first floor. Nothing but a conference room and that room that held the... what WAS that thing?"
"Bloodstone. It attracts all sorts of Demon-spawn. You're lucky nothing else was attracted to it."
"Demon-spawn? And what about-"
"Don't ask questions. Let's get a move-on." Dante spat and jumped over the counter and out the door, heading towards the opposite end of the mansion, which was turning out to be a large office building, just without the height. He knew they'd follow eventually, so he went ahead and opened the door to the secretary's office.
Computer on the desk next to a typewriter... this reminded him... he hadn't found any greens. 'I bet it's all on an online account.' He thought coldly. 'And I know just who could crack the code.' Dante sat down on the chair in front of the computer and started searching for an e-mail service of some sort.
Found one.
He cracked his knuckles and started typing, hoping he wouldn't regret it.
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TO: Enzo Ferino )
SUBJECT: It's Dante...
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Finding nothing on where the damn money is so I'll have to rely on your skills, Ferino. Find an account with the name "Ashford" or "Umbrella Corporation" and milk them for all they're worth. If I have to endure this place, I'm bankrupting one or the other... or both. You do this for me and I'll give you, oh say... 10? No more than that, you know what damages I go through.
Afraid to say this, but you already know my account number, don't you? Hell, we've known each other for years...
Anyways, forward the rest to my account. That's a good boy. You wouldn't break my trust, would you? If you did, I wouldn't consider you for the position of my partner, not that I need one.
Should be back home in about, oh... four to 7 hours? Don't bother me, I'll be sleeping when I get back.
Dante
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"Ten percent, ya bastard. That should satisfy you," Dante muttered as he sent the message. He stood up again as Claire and Steve entered the room. "Nice of you to join me. Care to continue our journey?"
"Dante..." Claire exhaled deeply, "I'm starting to feel tired... let's rest a bit, okay?"
"You two can if you want to," Dante replied, walking past them to go around the corner. "I need to finish what's been started. Finish off the Ashford dick and Wesker..."
Deep silence filled the stagnate air as the three gazed at each other, each wondering what the other was thinking.
"... We stick together from now on... whatever happens... we go through it together. I'm sick of being separated," Steve piped up as he took a step forward, despite Claire's total lack of function. He braced himself for the next step. "Claire... let me carry you."
"Careful..." was her response and he gently lifted her onto his back. He walked a couple of steps to meet Dante again. The taller one watched him cautiously then turned back to the door in their way. There was a plaque on the door holding a place for two guns. Two... Luger-sized guns. He shook his head. What kind of idiot...
"And I suppose I'm the guardian again?"
"Yeah. And don't forget, we have a bunch of questions for you when we do have a chance to rest," Claire reminded him. Dante sighed.
"I know." Dante gazed at the two behind him again then bent down slightly. He had no time for puzzles... the stupid Luger-sized indents can kiss his ass. Using all of his demonic strength, Dante lunged shoulder-first into the door, ramming it down, the door tearing from the hinges... taking part of the wall with it. Dante dusted himself off again and headed for another wall. This time it looked a more intricate conundrum. They had no time for puzzles, as he mentioned earlier. He knocked on the wall, looking for an opening or a doorway of some sort. He found one next to some sort of armoire-type thing... Dante wasn't sure, but it would be in ruins in a few seconds anyways, so he didn't care.
"I suggest standing back, you two..." Dante muttered as he gripped the hilt of Alastor and brought it off his back. He wedged the tip of the blade between the wall and the armoire, forced it far enough to find a void on the other side of the wall, and pushed the hilt of Alastor to the right slightly; using more vigor each time he pushed until a small crack appeared in the wall. Dante replaced Alastor on his back, placed his gloved hands on the unit, and pushed, keeping his back straight for more power. The entrance was exposed completely after a mere 30 seconds of Dante forced the wooden shelf back. He randomly dusted himself off and brought out Ebony and Ivory again, nodding to Steve to have him follow the hunter.
The passageway was long and wide enough for the two of them to walk side-by-side, but Dante insisted they walk behind him, in case other such devils should emerge from the shadows. He stopped, gazing up at a small mansion on a hill close to where they were.
"That must be where they're hiding." Steve said as he gazed around Dante's broad back. Dante grunted in response.
"Doesn't seem to be any lights on," Claire replied from behind Steve. The boy set her down as he caught his breath. They'd go slow enough for her. Steve would, anyways, but Dante only stopped long enough to survey their surroundings and what he had to go up against. Then he was off again.
"Dante! Wait up!" Steve beckoned. The hunter ignored the cries and kept going.
"Lights are off, doesn't mean no one's home." Dante replied. "Let's go."
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The passageway led them through overgrown gardens, the flowers long-since dead and the vines overcrowding the cherubs with the broken faces. They were met by a couple Bandersnatches, but nothing Dante couldn't take out quickly with his renewed strength in a few shots. The three of them climbed cracked marble staircases to reach the smaller and plainer, but eerie mansion. Dante wondered if they'd reach the Ashford brat in time to take him out before he fled like a pussy again. In due time, he thought as he held Ebony and Ivory in their respective hands, the muzzle of both guns pointed to the sky as Dante readied one kick to open the doubledoors. As his boot collided with the door, it snapped back and hit the wall quiet enough for the three intruders to enter undetected.
But they forgot about the bats.
The once-bug-eating hunters were now swarming to get a taste of the newcomers' blood. Dante wouldn't have any of it as he carefully aimed for each of the flying rodents and pulled the triggers. One after another the bats fell to the floor, twitching; dying in their own blood, unable to taste the humans'. The three looked around in the dim candlelight.
The foyer was huge, littered with books in one corner, a staircase in front of them that headed to the second and third floors, another door to their left. Everything was caked in a layer of dust, including the dolls that watched the intruders with their unblinking, glass eyes. Every corner had at least twenty of them and along the shelf closest to the door to their left. Dante followed the stairs to the third floor with his eyes and looked past the floor to a centerpiece on the ceiling.
"Take a look at that," he whispered as he pointed to a life-sized (or larger) doll, hanging from its plastic neck. Its dress was tattered and torn and its dusty, flaxen hair curled around its shoulders. Claire was sure it was Alexia, but she took another look to see the joints of the legs. Dante stared at the doll for a bit longer until he heard the faint sound of a door being opened. He looked to the second floor.
"You're late," the woman, who walked through the door, replied. Claire glanced at her; black leather zip-up vest, armband on the left wrist to elbow, waist-length blonde hair, and lethal knee-high black spiked boots. Something sparkled on the woman's person and she saw an amulet around the woman's neck, an oval bloodstone... or a garnet, she couldn't tell. A giant sword lay on the blonde's back, and Claire remembered her from the confrontation an hour or so back.
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Trish.
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Dante looked at his former partner. Trish, whom he thought was dead, was right in front of him... bearing the amulet and wielding the Sparda. He had to get them back, if he was never to have Trish again. It was the least he could do for his father and brother.
"Better late than never." Dante replied coolly. Trish looked thoughtful for a second, glancing at the devil hunter. Her soulless amber gaze looked down upon the three of them as she descended the stairs diligently. "Where's Wesker?"
"He is currently searching for something of use for his new employers, HCF. The Ashford girl is our target. We won't let you have her."
"It's not the girl I'm after. It's the pansy boy. Move out of the way, Trish. Don't make me hurt you," he replied as she stepped off the last stair. She came face-to-face with Dante, eyes glowing.
"I'm afraid I won't move for you, Son of Sparda. Not even if you beg."
"Beg? That's a good one," Dante chuckled. "Let the fullbloods through. You have no business with them, she-devil."
Claire's eyes widened slightly. He just called them... fullbloods? What did that make Dante?
Trish sighed in frustration as she replied, "Fine... I'll let them pass. But we finish what we started at your office, Son of Sparda." She stepped aside to let Steve and Claire past her. The brunette locked gazes with the white-haired hunter.
"Dante..."
"I'll be fine. Go find the freak."
Claire nodded and soon the only beings left in the foyer were Dante and Trish. Each brought out their respective blades. Trish sneered. "I know what you want, Dante... you can't have them back unless you pry them off my dead body."
Dante shrugged. "Have it your way, babe."
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Alfred cowered on the bed as Alexia yelled at him. Even in her rage, he found her beautiful, like a delicate flower caught in a violent storm. Her lilac dress swirled around her dainty ankles as he paced the room, glaring at her brother.
"You... how could you let the hunter purge himself? I thought you had it all under control, brother..."
"I do, my sweet Alexia." Alfred replied shakily. He knew he would do anything for his sister, protect her to the death. Especially from that rat Redfield and the filthy prisoner. Even the mouse, Dante.
"Now they've infiltrated our home, Alfred! Our sanctuary! No filthy creature was allowed here when we were younger... The OR1's are not helping the situation if they continue to be... exterminated by that... Son of Sparda. We have to get rid of him somehow... We need to get the other base and—"
Footsteps on the other side of the room. The twins were too late on reviewing their new plan. Something had to be done at that very moment. Alexia spied her brother's rifle at the foot of her bed and grabbed it before Alfred had time to look. "I'll handle the situation on my own, brother. This is twice you've failed me."
"Alexia, please!"
The door opened.
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Sparda and Alastor clashed as opposite sides fought. One was for the enemy; one for his family. Dante stepped back and swung his weapon towards Trish's abdomen, who defended herself with the Sparda. She then drew her hand back in offense and hurled a crackling ball of lightning-energy at her opposing force. After letting go of the ball, she lunged forward, giving Dante little time to dodge both attacks. To no surprise, he flipped back and to the side, feeling the heat of the ball lightning as it made its way into a bookshelf, exploding on contact. He had no time to breathe as she was on top of him again, the only things between them being their weapons.
"Face it, Dante, I'm much stronger than you."
Dante snorted and replied, "I'm gonna have no trouble ripping that amulet off you if you're this cocky."
"Look who's talking," she retorted and broke away, jumping back to widen the distance between them to about a meter. Neither showed hints of wear.
"Trish... it doesn't have to end this way, you know," Dante half-pleaded. She rose the Sparda again and launched herself at him. Attack after attack was blocked by Alastor; and every lunged at him made Dante angrier. He momentarily recalled the battle with Mundus where, even though she betrayed him, Trish pushed Dante out of the way to save his life. It cut to where she lent him her power to take the hellish devil down. In the present, Dante's eyes began to glow a dangerous crimson as he pushed away from Trish's latest attack and whipped out Ebony and Ivory, lashing out in a barrage of bullets. Trish, having barely anytime to react, was hit with most of the inundation. Bloodied up by the recent attack, Trish continued her offensive action and Dante, as a last resort, performed a series of ticks with Alastor to send Trish to the ground where she lay still. He shook his head and clicked his tongue as he walked to her still body.
"Trish, Trish, Trish. You never listen to me, do you? I never wanted to hurt you."
Her eyes were half-opened and her breathing labored as he lifted her slightly. He ripped the amulet off from her neck and set her back down, picking up the Sparda and placing it where Alastor usually rests. He put the amulet around his neck and held it for a little security.
"Dante... have you... a g... guilt trip?" she gurgled as her world faded into darkness. Dante looked back at the lifeless body and replied, "Wesker killed you. Not me." And with that, he headed up the stairs to meet up with the fullbloods.
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"Claire Redfield, I presume," Alexia responded as the girl and boy opened the door. In Alexia's hand was her brother's rifle, aimed and ready to fire. "And you brought the scum with you." The two dirty children stared blankly at her delicate features. She was about to say something else, when a barrage of gunfire was heard from below. The brunette closed her eyes in what looked like a silent prayer for the fallen. It sickened Alexia so to see such pity. In the silence, she decided to continue. "It's amazing you've gone this far, but your lives end here." She aimed the laser at Claire. It's over, she contemplated with a sneer. As she was about to pull the trigger, however, she was met by a bullet to the shoulder. Her finger, in reflex, pulled the trigger to the rifle, falling as it kicked back, hitting the tall, white-haired Son of Sparda in the forearm. She got up quickly and split through the secret door.
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"Dante!" Claire cried as said man stepped back, curiously examining the wound he had a second ago from the .22 that was fired.
"I'm okay. Was that Alfred in drag?"
"I'm pretty sure," Steve answered. Dante chuckled and chased after the nutcase, the fullbloods following. They went through a secret door that connected the twins' rooms. On the bed was a lilac dress. The same one Alfred had just been wearing. And on the dresser...
"Take a look..." Claire pointed to the flaxen wig on the dresser and a battle cry came from the terrace of the bed. Dante easily pushed the attacker to the floor and held Alastor at his throat.
"Now, Alfred, I've had enough of these games!" he growled. The person on the floor looked up with dignity. In a womanly voice, he answered, "Alfred? Can't you see I'm not my idiot brother?"
Dante blinked, confused. "Well, okay Alexia... take a look in the mirror, babe."
Diligently Alexia turned. And was horrified at what she saw. It was her face, but Alfred's body; his clothing, his hair, but her face. She screamed and ran out of the room, tearing her... his coat-sleeve on Alastor on the way out.
"You know, I almost pity him, thinking Alexia was a real person." Claire said after an awkward moment of silence. Dante shook his head and looked at the top of the terrace.
"Looks like an entrance to an attic..." he muttered as he jumped lightly onto the terrace and pushed the door open. "I'll investigate up here. You two find anything you can to work with." The two nodded and he went up onto what looked like a carousel. "Weird." He glanced around and stepped off the carousel. He checked the shelves, where he found a few proofs. Figuring Alfred left them here in case someone wanted to go 'Bye-bye' Dante stashed them in his trench coat, setting Alastor down to do the job. After he picked the demon-sword back up again, it again gave off a tingling vibration that something was about to happen. And he glanced around for the last time in the attic, picked up what he thought the three of them needed, and jumped from the carousel onto the floor of the bedroom below. "Anyone but yours truly find anything?"
"Nothing."
"Nada."
"Well, then it's high time we got out of here, because I have the strangest feeling that – "
"Warning... the self-destruct button has been activated," A calm, sexy voice called from over a PA system. "Who the FUCK has a self-destruct button for a damned island?!" Dante demanded. Claire shrugged. "Apparently this one," she replied. Dante groaned in frustration, picked both Steve and Claire up; juggling the two of them and Alastor in his arms, and got the hell out of the mansion.
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Authoress' endnote: Woo! Another chapter out! I think it would have been out sooner had I not had to figure out how to end the fight between Trish and Dante. Next chapter promises tyrant, stuff blowing up and more Dante! Don't miss it!
I'm overdoing it with the enthusiasm :-D